Tevis Forum 2013

32 ★ TEVIS FORUM 2013 S i n c e 1 9 4 6 13460 Lincoln Way, Auburn 530.885.9193 Judi La Bonte, Owner Breakfast Lunch • Dinner Banquet Facilities Happy Hour Tammy Botts Event Planners www. tbep.biz [email protected] Auburn, CA 530.367.4450 Suzanne Blackledge and Tammy Botts-Kimler We’ll take on the planning � Corporate events � Children’s parties � Holiday parties � Fundraising events � Home staging service � Professional organizing � Personal shoppers � Company picnics � Location scouting � Decorations � RSVP coordination � Performers for events � Invitations � Caterers while you enjoy the party! Party on! Colt Breaking ~ Morgan Show Horses ~ Dressage Discipline English Pleasure ~ Driving ~ Amateur Training Children’s Lessons ~ Western Pleasure ~ Reining ~ Hunt Seat Matt Scribner, Farrier Specializing in Endurance Horses 530.368.1946 Trail Committee News Deficient Winter Snowfall = Dry Summer As of April 2013, the central Sierra Nevada range has received only 57% of normal snowfall, and it will be a drought year. This means that it will be particu- larly dry during the 2013 Tevis Cup and extra water troughs are planned for the ride. Many small springs along the Western States Trail and the ‘bogs’ within Granite Chief Wilderness Area will have minimal water. It also means that the Tevis Trail Crew is hopeful to be working at higher altitude sooner in the spring season, particularly at Elephant Trunk (between Cougar Rock and Red Star), and also from the Highway 89 Crossing (≈ Mile - post 6) to Milepost 10 on the south side of Squaw Valley. Comprehensive Trail Maintenance Planning in El Dorado Canyon The Tevis Trail Crew has been busy with developing long-range plans for comprehensive trail maintenance of the entire 100-mile route so that priori- tized work can be scheduled (logistics, costs, equipment, supplies). Current emphasis is on El Dorado Canyon in the vicinity of Kaput Springs because the trailbed is quite narrowwith a steep side-slope. Two geologic reports of the trailbed were prepared for evaluation by the U.S. Forest Service, American River Ranger District in Foresthill. GPS-tagged Trailbed Photographs Detailed photographs of the West- ern States Trail have been completed for several segments. These are GPS- tagged (for latitude and longitude), and then uploaded onto GoogleEarth. Awide spectrumof persons can then re- view these albums for trail management purposes and also for training purposes by Tevis riders from out-of-state. Creek Crossing at Slug Gulch and Trail Repair at Sandy Bottom During December 2012, two weeks of heavy rainfall caused severe erosion of theWestern States Trail at Slug Gulch near Milepost 82 (about three miles east of Francisco’s). This washed-out creek-crossing was a four-foot vertical drop and about a dozen feet wide; no horse could possibly cross here. It was entirely rebuilt bymoving a dozen large boulders with the trail machine for rip- rap, then grading an earth ramp for the crossing. This restoration earthwork was undertaken in January 2013 by Trail Boss Mike Shackelford and Greg Kimler, both members of the WSTF Board of Governors. Dense growth of star-thistle was also cleared in “Sandy Bottom,” in soft alluvial sand along the Middle Fork of the American River. This restoration work was undertaken with a written permit from State Park Ranger Jonathan Brandt. Chainsaw Recertification Three Trail Committee members (Kimler, Shackelford and Sydnor) par- ticipated in a recertification class for chainsaw trail-clearing that was taught at park headquarters, Auburn State Recreation Area. H by Greg Kimler, AERC Trail Master; WSTF Governor,Trail Committee Chairman; Mike Shackelford, AERC Trail Master,WSTF Governor, Tevis Trail Crew Chief, and Robert H. Sydnor, AERC Trail Master and Engineering Geologist OVERNIGHT PARKING now available at the North Lot close to the Tevis Finish Line. For reservations and information, email: WSTFAuburnOvernight @googlegroups.com